See Roxas
by Forced Smile
Summary: A retelling of the thoughts that went through Axel's mind and his actions as the event in Betwixt and Between occurs. Axel Roxas Friendship.Charrie Death.


_Disclaimer: All of this? NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN IF I OWNED THESE GUYS. But I don't. So it did. Damn it._

_Last night I was looking through some cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts 2, and watched Axel die again. I don't know why I torture myself. D:_

But, I seriously thought it might be fun to write out the story, you know? And understand I didn't re-read this, and I was exausted because if was 4:30 in the AM. But I was determined to finish it, so, yes. I'm also terribly aware this idea is so overused. Whatever.

Enjoy Axel's death.

Also, this isn't exactly AkuRoku, more like Axel and Roxas friendship, but if you want it to be, go ahead and believe it's AkuRoku. 

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He couldn't see him. Here he was, arms crossed, standing at the side, watching as _he _swung his key again and again at the dusks. He watched as _his_ breathing alternated with panting, how he stopped every few seconds to catch his breath, then would cry out in pain as the non-existent yet somehow existing lesser nobodies would bite him, or bruise him, or burn him with a bright red laser-like beam. The Keyblade Master was obviously exhausted, and his duck and dog friends were obviously too busy to even turn and make sure their spiky haired friend was still alive. The brunette's clothes were beginning to stick to his skin as his sweat and blood mixed and soaked the black material. He watched as he attempted to take a sip from his glowing green vial of Hi-Potion time and time again, but was always interrupted just before it touched his lips. Then he would just scream again.

_He deserves it…_ Something in his mind whispered. _He stole Roxas…_

No. He didn't, Roxas left on his own, he-

_He left because of him._

He exists because of him!

_You should have killed him when you had the chance, he was there, underneath your fingers at Castle Oblivion. Instead you danced around and watched, unpredictable, just like your flames. Which could have stopped this!_

That would have destroyed the organization!

_You would have had Roxas, you only liked him anyway._

But…

_This is your revenge, he stole Roxas, let him _die…

He ran a gloved hand through spiky hair, color equivalent to fire, and heaved a sigh. But what good would that do? He couldn't go anywhere anyway. The organization was after him;_ Saix_ was after him. That blue haired psychopath would mutilate him, provided the chance. And his best friend… His best friend…

"Augh!" a sharp shriek jostled him out of his thoughts as he turned just in time to watch Sora cry out particularly loud and clutch his arm as blood began soaking through the material particularly quick.

_Damn it…_

Then suddenly he found himself summoning his chakram, and running headfirst into the horde. Twirling his weapons and chucking one at one dusk, and one at another.

"It's no use!" he heard Sora call to his pals, the three had been corned until they were back too back, and he fought his way into the surging mass of nothing towards the three. He took this as his cue to shout, just let them know they had someone else on their side for now.

"Don't stop moving! Or the darkness will overtake you!" he busted through a weak spot with few nobodies and knocked two out of the way to see the three more directly. "Get goin'!" He noticed the duck using this brief opportunity to heal himself and his friends and the surrounding enemies stopped attacking to witness the situation. Briefly.

"Why?" Jeez, questions? He was saving this kid's ass, what more did he need to know?

"Don't ask, just do it!" he shouted, agitated. Then he was on the ground, a dusk jumping on top of his slender frame, whacking his already sore from Saix-battle body. The irritating pressure was gone soon enough though, as Sora destroyed the blasted thing with one swing of his massive key.

"You okay?" He heard Sora ask, his voice laced with concern. Was that really Sora? … Of course it was, of course it was…

"I kidnapped Kairi," He didn't bother to answer, just told him what he knew the brunette was really after as he rose to his knees. "But she got away from me. After that, Saix caught her." he punched the floor with a leather covered fist, angered at his own foolish mistake. He must have been watching him the _entire time_…

"He's a member of Organization XIII, Saix, got it memorized? Now go save her!" He shouted, rising to his feet as Sora batted away another dusk which had just appeared with a scowl and a new found determination.

"Leave us alone!"

The battle that ensued was intense, and he found himself exhausted quickly every few attacks, Saix did have the effect of weakening people. Mentally _and_ physically.

"Oh no you don't!" "Burn, baby!" "Get out of the way!" The battle cries He usually took pride in became nothing but his own background noise as he rained attack after attack down upon his graceful and silver nemesis's. His took out whatever he might have been experiencing, not emotions, but as damn well close to rage as he could muster, on the lesser-beings. Flames danced around him, and the betrayal Roxas forced him through destroyed more then several nobodies. Vaguely he could hear Sora shouting at his opponents as well and the high pitched screams of nobodies as tendrils of darkness swirled through the air with each obliteration at his hand.

He doubled over once again as he gasped in shaky breaths, and quickly threw himself back into the heat of battle once he'd recovered to an acceptable extent. Wave after wave after wave of nobodies crashed down upon the four fighters as they struggled to fight against the overwhelming current, until…

"I think I liked it better when they were on my side." he smirked, now back to back with the Keyblade Bearer.

"Feeling a little," Sora mocked, peering up at the redhead. "Regret?"

"Nah, I can handle these punks." he grinned ferally and turned back to look at Sora with his boast. "Heh, watch this!" he exclaimed, leaping into a ring of dusks. The chakrams that moments ago had been being twirled loosely in thin hands now spun in extremely quick circles at his hips, slowly beginning to create glowing flames. Axel raised his arms at his sides, pushing them up as if pushing a massive weight from his shoulders. He willed the flames hotter, more intense. Wild, free, hot, so very _hot_. Burn. _Destroy them_. Then the chakrams began to spin, circling his body as he floated, becoming faster and creating a blue of silver, red, and fire. His arms then closed in around himself as if in a personal hug. _Hotter. Hotter. More intense. More flames!_

_Stop._ The voice in the back of his head whispered again. _You can still stop this. He took Roxas! HE TOOK ROXAS! YOU CAN STOP THIS! _

No, he can't_. _The flames are hot, and they're getting hotter. And he could quickly feel his life power draining, but the flames… they weren't hot enough!

Then, his whole being was put into this attack.

And he exploded with a scream.

Then he was on the floor. And he was feeling so drained, so _weak._ He could feel himself fading away, feel every cell split and be carried away with the darkness that was him. _And it hurt. It hurt so bad. _It felt like he was burning from the inside, and being frozen on the out. It felt like he was inside worst of lightening storms, and swimming in a shallow pool. It felt like he was being dropped from the clock tower, and being thrust forward by a starting and stopping train that took off immediately full speed. He felt like he was in the biggest fight ever to exist, then that times a million, then being broken apart and exploding every last bit of his non-existence.

He felt like Roxas had left again…

"You're… fading away…" the voice penetrated his soundless torture, and when he looked up Sora was kneeled over him, looking at him with concern shining in those agonizingly familiar blue eyes.

"Well, that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack." he said, his voice surprisingly calm. "You know what I mean? Not that nobodies actually HAVE beings, right? Anyway, I digress. Go, find Kairi." Leave me alone to die. "Oh, almost forgot. Sorry for what I did to her."

"When we find her, you can tell her that yourself!" Sora's voice was sad, even he knew what was coming.

He sighed, "Think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one." he chuckled humorlessly, his eyes beginning to blur as he faded more and more.

"Axel," his name sounded just like it had come from Roxas. His voice sounded so strikingly similar, he almost could have believed he was there. No… he knew better. Roxas was gone. He was fading… He was hallucinating… That was NOT Roxas who was kneeling above him, with his blue eyes sparkling with sadness, and blonde spikes as golden as ever, and shining even in the dim light of Betwixt and Between. Axel quickly diverted his eyes to the red, blue and purple abyss above him. "What were you trying to do?"

What did he have to hide? He was _fading_. Secrets were useless. Why take them to his grave? He wouldn't remember them in the next life.

"I wanted to see Roxas." his voice shook slightly as he spoke, whether from the physical pain or from the mental, he couldn't tell. "He… Was the only one I liked." Out of all of them, he was the only one who made him laugh. Smile, as if he could do it for real. He was the only one who could truly help him missions without being a total nuisance. Only one who hadn't feigned kindness. Was actually nice to the redhead. After all, Roxas had a heart, didn't he? While he… "He made me feel… like I had a heart."

No other Organization members had, only Roxas. He only liked him.

"It's kind of… funny…" Axel cracked a small grin and turned towards Sora, face still creased with worry and sorrow. "You make me feel… the same…" No. He couldn't finish it.. He wasn't him. Not Roxas. Same way, because Roxas was him.

Axel quickly diverted his eyes, creasing his eyebrows as a tremor of pain swept away a large chunk of his strength. He was growing weak… he needed to…

"Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now go." he raised one arm shakily, opening up a portal to The World That Never Was. Axel felt himself drain, so weak… so…

"Axel." he couldn't even turn his head, but standing above him, translucent and glowing was Roxas. Smiling softly like he used to, positively glowing with life. Axel smiled a little, unable to speak. Roxas shook his head slightly as if he was exasperated, and gave a small sigh, once again meeting Axel's emerald gaze with his own ocean blue one. "Let's meet again, in the next life."

He had seconds left, he was sure of it. He couldn't move, and he could _feel _himselfdisappearing from the world. But Roxas was still smiling, still there, still the Roxas that he knew. His strength was gone, that much was positive, because no matter how hard he tried to lift his arm and touch him, just to make sure he was there, it just wouldn't move. _But Roxas was still smiling, so he was still there. _

"---, --- -- -------." And Roxas just grinned, making Axel feel like he had a heart all over again.

Moments later Axel faded and made his way into the next life, to wait for Roxas like they promised.

_"**Yah, I'll be waiting."**_

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Once again, I was half asleep when I wrote this, but I'm _kinda _proud none the less. So please Review and tell me what you thought!


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